


friendly ghost

by ghostlykitty



Category: Pinky and the Brain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-19 05:59:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29746026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlykitty/pseuds/ghostlykitty
Summary: it's a ghost au. there's no graphic death. check the notes for further explanation please lol
Comments: 12
Kudos: 9





	friendly ghost

**Author's Note:**

> so uh my sister had the idea to make a ghost au where pinky is ALREADY a ghost when he and brain meet. i thought this would be pretty interesting--brain is very scientifically minded and in this scenario, pinky is now not only his antithesis in personality, but also contradicts everything he thought he knew simply by existing. i thought maybe they could get through the existential dread of having to rethink your entire worldview due to being faced with an entity that shouldn't exist and then just get into some silly ghosty shenanigans. however, I've never written, like, anything before so this is both bad and unfinished, but I just wanted to get the start of an idea down. if anyone wants to expand on this au feel free, but let me know if you do, cause I wanna see it!!!

Everyone knew there was a ghost in the lab. It wasn't exactly an uncommon occurrence for mice to leave their cages and never come back; every single day they lost at least one, and that one would be replaced immediately by a dozen new, unfamiliar mice, and so on, in an endless cycle. This was the nature of their lives as lab animals. 

  
It was the same the day this particular mouse was taken. Everyone knew he was a goner. They all heard the scientists chattering about how risky the tests would be--almost certain death. They all shook their heads and cast their eyes to the floor when he was removed from his solitary cage and taken away. Another mouse gone before his time. Although none of them had really known him, it was a shame. It was always a shame. But they all would have moved on very quickly from what was otherwise a routine experience...

  
Except, this mouse came back.

  
No one thought much of it at first. They would wake up in the morning and notice through the window into the next room that the door to that cage was open when it had previously been closed--no matter how many times the scientists shut and even locked it, despite it remaining completely empty, by morning it would be open again. This, of course, was strange, and a few of the mice were a little spooked by it, but generally chalked it up to the lock being faulty or something of the sort. However, the strange occurrences slowly began to intensify. Things would be knocked off of the counter surrounding the cage; items seeming to hover in midair for a few moments before being dropped to the ground; the eerie creak of the exercise wheel turning on its own was often heard in the dead of night; and some even swore up and down that they had seen the pale, white, translucent figure of a tall, slender mouse gracefully dancing across the countertop before vanishing into thin air. 

  
Several mice were moved into that cage since the original inhabitant had passed. every single one of them was gone within a week. The rumors surrounding the haunted cage got more and more intense and outlandish. What was once a faulty lock was now a violent poltergeist that would drive you mad and take your life if you were unfortunate enough to be forced into its territory.

  
The mouse designated "Subject 3 alpha 5-9," or as he preferred to call himself, "The Brain," was to be the next victim of the bloodthirsty spirit. His cagemates were, of course, completely abuzz over the news. The Brain, however, was a mouse of science. As one of the lab's most recent and most successful results of gene splicing, he was far more intelligent than even the other spliced animals that he called his cagemates. Far too intelligent to believe in made up things like ghosts. Especially ghost _mice_ (how completely nonsensical).

  
He was extremely solitary in nature--he was rude and blunt and standoffish, and often snapped at the others when they'd so much as ask what he was up to; not to mention his higher level of intelligence meant it was automatically difficult for any of them to really understand him to begin with. So generally, he was deemed someone to be avoided. But that was how he liked it. He was an outcast by choice. That's what he told himself.

  
However, even with the distance he kept between himself and the others, he wasn't exempt from the gossip and whispering of the superstitious mice around him. He heard everything. He heard them muttering to each other about how he was sure to be a goner, how the ghost would get him and he would never be seen again. Some of them theorized with morbid curiosity about how he would be done away with. Some of them even laughed, clearly amused in some sick way by the thought of what was to come. He saw them quickly glance away when he caught them throwing pitiful or curious stares at him. 

  
He rolled his eyes and scoffed in return. _"Ghost," indeed_ , he thought to himself, turning his attention back to the small notebook in front of him, finding his place and continuing to scribble away at various notes and equations. _Bunch of gullible fools. They probably just can't wait to get rid of me._ He smirked, contentment welling in his chest at the thought of finally having a cage to himself, away from the noise and cramped quarters of his current residence. _Well, good riddance to them, too. At least when I'm away from them all, I'll finally be able to focus on my work._ His ear twitched involuntarily toward the sound of more gruesome murmurs of ghosts and death. _And maybe even dispel these ridiculous rumors while I'm at it._

  
It was the next day that The Brain was taken from the community cage he was being kept in. As the scientist gently lifted him in her hands, he stole one last look back at the other mice he had been living with almost his entire life, and realized he barely knew any of them. Some of them stared back, unreadable expressions on their faces, his fate already sealed in their minds. Before he even reached his new home in the next room over, most of them had already lost interest. The Brain knew not a single one of them would miss him even if their assumptions were correct. A bitter feeling started to swirl in the pit of his stomach at the somber realization. He shook his head, willing it away. Of course they wouldn't care. Neither would he.

  
\-----

  
His new cage wasn't anything special. With all the talk surrounding it, he'd half expected a full-on miniature haunted house. Instead, he was met with dark green bars, a bare floor, an exercise wheel, a food bowl, and a water bottle. Nothing more, nothing less. Certainly no unexpected roommate. He looked around a bit more to get a good read on his surroundings, and was absolutely ecstatic at the plethora of scientific equipment that he now had easy access to. Along with that, there was also a large window directly behind him, and a television mounted on the wall across from him. Despite how empty the cage was, the placement felt downright luxurious. He rubbed his hands together, a wide, delighted smile creeping across his face. His mind was racing at 100 miles an hour, countless ideas with endless possibilities flooding him all at once. As soon as night fell, he could truly begin work on his one and only goal--to take over to world. To finally have complete control.

  
And so, he waited. The scientists milled about, busy with their work, not noticing as he scribbled away in his notebook, working through more equations and ideas than ever before at lightning speed. He reveled in the newfound quiet that came with having a cage all to himself--no inane chatter of other, less intelligent mice to distract him from his brilliant revelations. It was bliss. 

  
Before he even realized it, the sun had disappeared, and the last of the scientists had locked up for the night. He was only snapped out of his deep hyperfocus when the lights were turned out with a loud click and he realized he could no longer see what he was writing. He looked up to see that he finally had the dark and empty lab entirely to himself. Perfect. 

  
He stood and examined the lock that was holding the door of the cage shut. Then he looked down at his tail. It was jagged and mangled from past experiments--completely numb and rigid. He then shrugged and jammed it in the keyhole, twisting strategically until he heard the lock click. He grinned wide as he pushed the door open and stepped outside, his heart fluttering with excitement at the thought of all the experiments he would finally be able to do, and how much closer he was than ever before to finally getting the only thing he ever wanted. 

  
He set one brave foot in front of the other, proudly stepping out into the lab that he had decided was his own, until he heard it:

  
_Squeak. Squeak. Squeak._

  
He whirled around, expecting to see another escapee intruding on his new territory (he was far from the only animal to have broken out of their cage, even on a regular basis), but was met with nothing. He didn't notice it at first; his ears found the source of the sound before his eyes followed. It was the exercise wheel, which was suddenly rocking back and forth slightly, as though someone had just been running on it moments before and it was now slowly coming to a stop. 

  
The Brain took a deep breath, calming himself before walking back to the wheel and stilling it with his paw. _Strange_ , he thought, but refused to think any further than that. He knew there was nothing to fear. Just a breeze, nothing more. 

  
He turned back to the door, and froze solid in his tracks once again when he saw that it was now closed. He shook his head vigorously, beating himself up for feeling frightened over a door simply swinging shut. _Don't be absurd, Brain_ , he told himself. _You're just a bit shaken up from being in a new place, that's all_.

  
He took one last deep breath and puffed out his chest, boldly making his way to the door and pushing it back open, deciding right then and there that nothing of this world or the next was going to keep him from his work. 

  
And work, he did. After he had found a desk across the room with a lamp to work under, within moments he had forgotten about the odd event that had transpired, and was completely consumed in forming the blueprints for his very first plan for world domination. He had everything he needed right there in the room with him, and he worked with feverish pace to get through the concept phase and dive right into the execution. He only stopped every now and then to marvel at his own brilliance, study his notes, and make adjustments to the plans as needed. He knew no great scientist ever got it right on the first try, but he fully intended to get as close as he possibly could to perfection. 

  
_Creaaak._

  
In an instant, he was unceremoniously snapped out of his work frenzy, suddenly aware of just how quiet it was outside of the offending sound. He looked to his new cage to see the door slowly swinging open. The Brain hesitated, trying to shake off the deeply unsettling feeling suddenly overtaking him, but it only grew stronger.

  
It was an undeniable presence. The Brain didn't know how to explain it, even to himself, but he had become acutely aware that someone was in the room with him. He wanted nothing more than to return to his blueprints, to ignore what he was sure was just a product of his imagination and all the rumors still swirling around in his head, but he couldn't. He was frozen in place, eyes locked on the cage, fur standing on end as he was subconsciously aware of the presence moving closer. It was unlike anything he had experienced before--he couldn't see anything, and yet his eyes still followed an obvious path of movement along the table across from him that he could somehow simply _feel_. 

  
And then, there was a shimmer in the moonlight, not far from the end of the table. Not far from the desk he was currently sitting on. The Brain blinked, thinking he was merely seeing things, but the faint shape did not disappear. In fact, when he opened his eyes again, it was only about a foot away from him. He let out an involuntary yelp and fell backward, his heart racing and his mind completely empty for the first time since he had been given sentience. 

  
The shapeless mist began to slowly solidify as it approached him. It was almost as though whatever it was was coming into focus, its faint blurry form gradually expanding and taking shape into what The Brain finally recognized as... a mouse. A very tall, slender mouse, with pure white fur much like his own, which almost seemed to shimmer and glow as it stood on the outskirts of the lamp's light. Its face, however, remained completely unfocused no matter how hard The Brain tried to make out its features; the further up its body The Brain looked, the more transparent and hazy it became, only the parts of it closest to him being completely tangible. It stood tall, seemingly with its hands folded behind its back and the vague shape of its head cocked to the side, as though it were studying him. 

  
The two of them stayed motionless in that position for what felt like an eternity. For a moment, The Brain began to think that maybe he really was hallucinating; this entity before him was a result of him overworking his mind after a big change and not enough sleep. And then it took a step closer. The Brain tried his best to scuttle away, the strange mix of sheer terror, confusion, and (oddly enough) curiosity gripping him, making it exceedingly difficult to move, and downright impossible to speak. He found himself cemented in place and trembling like a leaf as the apparition stopped at his feet, the both of them now directly beneath the light, which provided no comfort to The Brain. And in one swift motion, its once hazy face became crystal clear, coming into focus as it bent down to come face to face with him. The air became instantly colder as its nose brushed right by his. The Brain stared into its huge, pale blue eyes, his own eyes plastered wide open and unblinking in pure, abject fear. His heart pounded so hard, it was painful. So loud, it was the only thing he could hear, until the wretched thing spoke: 

  
"Hullo! _Narf!_ "


End file.
